Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said on Wednesday that he plans to lower the minimum number of amphetamine tablets a person can be found to possess before it is considered a criminal act.
The current threshold is set at five. Previously, possession of 15 tablets was classified as a crime. The Ministry of Public Health downsized the amount last year.
Mr Somsak, recently appointed to the post, told the media shortly after his first executive board meeting that one of his top priorities is tackling the scourge of narcotics.
Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin
He wants to amend the rules regarding possession of amphetamines to better align them with the National Narcotics Act, which says that only a "small amount" should be considered as being for personal consumption.
All stakeholders will strive to clearly define what a "small amount" should be, he said, adding the ministry will come up with clear policies for both amphetamines and cannabis.
Individuals found in possession of fewer than five tablets are treated as patients and given the option of rehabilitation at present.
Users are still granted a degree of leeway as police have expressed concern that prisons could become loaded to overcapacity if possession of just one or two tablets was considered a prosecutable crime.
Mr Somsak said the ministry would work closely with drug suppression agencies to tackle related problems including the provision of proper medical and rehabilitation treatment.
He also said legal action would be taken against any drug patient who attempts to flee their rehabilitation. About one in five patients in drug-related cases abscond before completing their state-issued treatment.
Regarding cannabis use, he said he must collect more public feedback before deciding whether to put the plant back on the narcotics list -- with limited exceptions provided for its medicinal use.
Mr Somsak refused to specify whether cannabis use in the future would require a doctor's prescription, merely saying the issue would be discussed.